In my U.S. copending patent application Ser. No. 09/258,219 titled Paint System filed Feb. 26, 1999, which is incorporated herein by reference, I describes a method of insitu blending different color paints using a paint pad applicator in conjunction with a paint tray that has multiple individual paint compartments. Each of the paint tray compartments holds a different color paint. For example, one compartment can hold blue paint, another compartment can hold red paint and still another compartment can hold white paint. Also, if desired, some of the paint compartments can hold paint of the same color. In order to change the insitu blending one needs to change the color of the paint in one or more of the paint compartments. As certain colors are additive one can change the color of paint in a paint compartment by adding a paint of another color, which is usually done by trial and error. To eliminate trial and error mixing one could empty the paint compartment and refill the compartment with fresh paint of the desired color. However, if a paint tray has multiple compartments it is difficult to empty only one of the compartments as the paints from the other compartments are likely to mix with each other as the user tries to pour the paint from the paint tray back into a paint container. Also a user may want to use only a single paint container rather than multiple paint containers.
The present invention comprises a paint tray assembly which allows a painter to apply paint from one paint container and if multiple removable paint containers are used to empty the paint in one of the removable paint containers without having to empty the paint in all the rest of the paint containers. This allows a user to change the insitu blending without having to add paint to a container through a process of trial and error.